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by Twice_before_Friday



Series: October? No, I think you mean Whumptober [22]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, Poisoning, Revenge, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27148234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twice_before_Friday/pseuds/Twice_before_Friday
Summary: Prompt No 22. DO THESE TACOS TASTE FUNNY TO YOU?Poisoned| Drugged | WithdrawalFriday nights at the Wandering Cup have become their standard send-off for the week — a way to celebrate the wins, mourn the losses, and shrug off the heavy mantle of the job before they head out for forty-eight hours of civilian life (assuming they're not in the middle of an active investigation that will see them working through the weekend).
Series: October? No, I think you mean Whumptober [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947595
Comments: 19
Kudos: 62
Collections: Whumptober 2020





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Friday nights at the Wandering Cup have become their standard send-off for the week — a way to celebrate the wins, mourn the losses, and shrug off the heavy mantle of the job before they head out for forty-eight hours of civilian life (assuming they're not in the middle of an active investigation that will see them working through the weekend).

It's become a ritual that Malcolm looks forward to each and every week. 

When he was with the FBI, some of his colleagues would get together for drinks to decompress after a case. He was invited once, and only once. That was when one of the other agents, one who had hated him from the very beginning, announced that Malcolm Bright was actually Malcolm Whitley, son of The Surgeon.

He was never asked to join them for drinks after that.

So the first time Dani had said they were going to the Wandering Cup after work, he told them to have a good time and prepared himself for another night at home. Alone. Dani's arched eyebrow and JT's gruff, "She means you too, bro," took him completely by surprise, but he tentatively agreed. Gil's soft smile told him he made the right choice.

He spent that first night waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It never did. 

So he's learned to relax into the company of his team, feeling accepted for the first time in over twenty years.

It feels good.

This particular Friday night is a cause for celebration. They were able to apprehend a killer that had been preying on exotic dancers, managing to gruesomely murder three females and one male before they were able to track him down and put an end to his spree.

They order a round of shots to go along with their drinks, the waitress bringing them over with an overloaded tray and a forced smile. She drops the four shot glasses in the middle of the table with a muttered "cheers," and turns towards the next table to drop off a pitcher of beer.

"Thank you," Malcolm says as she turns, noticing the way she freezes for half a second before continuing on, but then the team is raising the shot glasses in a toast and his attention is drawn back to the table. He picks up the last glass and raises it in salute and sucks it back at the same time as the others, savouring the burn as it slides down his throat.

It only takes a matter of minutes before he realizes something is wrong.

His mind starts to feel fuzzy just before the headache sets in. He tries to brush it off at first, thinking he maybe should've eaten something today if he was planning on taking shots and nursing a whiskey. But soon, the combination of the pounding in his head and the fog that's making him feel dizzy and off-center is enough to nearly knock him over, only caught from hitting the table by Gil's hand on his shoulder.

"Kid?" 

Malcolm can hear the concern in the man's voice and tries to assure him that he's fine, but the words come out so slurred and mumbled that even Malcolm can't make out the meaning behind them.

Gil pushes him back up in his chair to get a better look at him, which is when Malcolm notices that JT has suddenly appeared beside him, helping to steady him. He's not even sure when the man vacated his own seat to come over to his side of the table, but he's thankful for his steadying presence because the strength to hold himself up seems to be draining from Malcolm by the second; he's pretty sure he'd slip right off the chair if it wasn't for the two sets of hands holding him up.

"G'l?" Malcolm mumbles and tries to reach out for the man, but his hands don't cooperate and he only manages to knock over the empty shot glass on the table.

Gil looks at the shot glass and then back at Malcolm, realization settling heavy on his features.

"He's been poisoned," Gil says, years of training keeping his voice both calm and authoritative, though Malcolm can hear the underlying hint of panic beneath the words. "Call 9-1-1 and track down that waitress."

Dani begins to call for an ambulance but thrusts the phone to JT when she sees the waitress watching from across the bar, chewing on her lip and wringing her hands.

Malcolm doesn't see Dani leave, but soon she's next to the table with the young woman in tow.

"What did you do?" Gil levels her with a look that Malcolm's rarely seen cross the man's face.

"You arrested my brothers a couple years back," the girl — her name tag says Allison, but whether or not that's actually her name remains to be seen — says, holding her head high. The way her chin quivers, though, gives away just how scared really she is.

Malcolm thinks she can't be older than twenty one, and even that's being generous.

"You're the Langford girl," JT says, lowering the phone from his mouth now that he's given the address of the bar to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. "Your four brothers robbed that bank."

"And Jake died in prison, thanks to you," she spits. Even through the haze, through his dimming vision, Malcolm can see her firming her resolve. "You took one of my brothers, now you'll pay a life for a life."

Malcolm can feel his heart slowing down, the beats coming further and further apart as he sits there, unable to move, his head lolling on his shoulders as his body starts to switch off.

"What did you do?" Dani snaps, grip tightening on the woman's arm.

"I poisoned one of the shots. Like I said, a life for a life," she says, but even as he fights to stay present, Malcolm can sense the uncertainty in her tone.

Sounds are starting to fade in and out, like he's floating in the ocean and his ears keep dipping below the water line. He feels kind of lost like that, too. Like he's in the middle of a vast nothingness, untethered and unmoored and ready to float away into the blackness. The only thing keeping him anchored is Gil's hand warm on his neck.

"He wasn't even part of the team back then," JT practically snarls at the woman. "He's sure as fuck not responsible for your brother's death."

The conversation continues — shouts and recriminations flying back and forth — but Malcolm loses the thread as his body continues to shut down. The last thing he's aware of is a gentle hand lowering his head to the table.

After a week in a medically-induced coma, he's told that Allison — turns out that actually was her real name — eventually told the team what he'd been poisoned with, just in time for the doctors to treat him before his condition deteriorated even further.

He's warned that his recovery is going to be slow, but he's also told he'll be back to normal within a few months, and in the meantime the team comes to visit him regularly. In the hospital at first, and at his loft once he's released.

"Bro, there's something we need to talk about," JT says at one such visit, leaning forward in the chair he's claimed while Malcolm and Dani take the sofa.

Malcolm frowns, JT's tone sparking a degree of worry in him, but then he notices the playful glimmer in the man's eyes and cocks his head trying to figure out what he's up to.

"You were supposed to buy that last round, when we were out last time. Don't think getting yourself poisoned is gonna get you out of it. Next round is on you."

Dani rolls her eyes and leans forward to swat JT's arm, but Malcolm just smiles.

"Deal," he says. He's already looking forward to it.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my second try at this prompt (the first was a bit of a failure), so hopefully it turned out alright. And thanks to KateSamantha for suggesting the "poisoned" prompt the second time around.


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